This is the live blog for Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong, the bantamweight main event for Saturday’s UFC Shanghai card at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China.
Nurmagomedov is currently No. 3 at 135 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with Song looking to climb from the No. 7 spot.
Currently on a two-fight win streak, Nurmagomedov (20-1) looks to lock down another shot at the bantamweight title after falling short against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. Nurmagomedov bounced back with
consecutive wins over Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista, but needs another strong performance to cement himself as the challenger to the Dvalishvili vs. Yan trilogy bout taking place at UFC 333 on Oct. 24.
Song (23-9-1, 1 NC) fights to finally break into the elite tier of the 135-pound division. The Chinese standout is also coming off a win over Figueiredo, having finished the former flyweight champion via a second-round guillotine choke submission in the main event of UFC Macau this past May. Now, Song can establish himself as a fresh challenger with an upset victory Saturday night.
Check out the Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong live blog below.
Preamble
Well, it’s just now 8 a.m. on the East Coast, and I’ll admit, I was starting to get a little tired. But then Denise Gomes slated Yan Xiaonan, and I’m back up!
It’s been a tough night for the Chinese fans, as most of their fighters have not fared well. Can Song Yadong change that energy and send them home happy? Let’s find out.
